CHAPTER 107: CHAPTER 49: THE NEW RELIGIOUS ADVISOR AND THE NEW SECT

After announcing the jubilant victory to the Sun Goddess and receiving the Divine Grace of the Sun Goddess, Su Li could finally relax his mood a little and start arranging the mundane affairs of the territory.

The joy of victory was reflected in every aspect: not only could he, as the Lord, enjoy the unparalleled beauty of Philis’s body at night, but the entire territory would also share the dividends of war victory.

From the privileged class of Knights to the lowest soldiers and slaves, everyone gained significant benefits and wealth due to the victory of the war.

If all this is not arranged properly, it could seriously shake the soldiers’ faith in future brave battles and their pursuit of war and glory.

And undoubtedly, the most important thing after the war is to commend the warriors who have contributed and offer condolences to the fallen soldiers.

Therefore, after leaving the Monastery, Su Li did not hastily take Philis back to the room, eager for joy.

Upon returning to the castle, Su Li had Avril take Philis to prepare for the evening celebration. Philis needed to carefully wash and groom herself to offer him a pleasurable feast in the evening. Tonight Su Li intended to fully enjoy the body of this unparalleled beauty, accelerating her journey on the path of Knight enlightenment at triple the speed.

As for him, he remained in the castle hall, ordering the Minister of the Seal, the Military Commander, the Minister of Agriculture, and others to gather in the castle for a meeting.

Minister of the Seal Lauren had watched the triumphant celebration at the Monastery and followed Su Li back to the castle. The people in the castle mainly waited for the Minister of Agriculture, Vandar. He did not participate in the worship of the Sun Goddess. Besides being a follower of the Dawn Goddess Church, the more important reason was that he was taking care of the soldiers injured in this battle.

This noble duty made everyone wait without a hint of complaint.

Before he arrived, the castle did not enter the main topic, and the ministers first chatted casually.

Lauren, loyal and straightforward, advised Su Li, "My Lord, your public declaration today was inappropriate and has diminished the honor and demeanor of the nobility. I understand that you are excited about today’s grand victory, and in youthful exuberance, made some impulsive actions, which is understandable. But I hope that in the future, you can think more carefully and strategize before taking action. Otherwise, such behavior could easily provoke ridicule, and I worry that it could affect the glory of your great victory when it spreads outside."

"Other nobles of territories will mock you for taking in a crude peasant woman as a courtier after worshipping the Goddess upon returning victorious, thereby disgracing the Goddess."

The people of the territory, having seen Philis’s unmatched beauty, could naturally understand the Lord’s appreciation for beauty as a man.

But other territories would not know these details, and Minstrels, for the sake of story intrigue and twists, would only embellish and spread everything with vivid exaggeration.

Su Li, of course, did not want to declare his affection publicly; he was a straightforward guy and understood nothing of love.

With Hilude and Avril, too, feelings developed over time!

In this regard, he is definitely a typical man, different from women who love first and then make love; he always makes love first and loves later. After a woman has formed such a close relationship with him, sharing mutual support, how could he not care for or cherish her?

Developing feelings over time is his true portrayal, so he also resolutely refuses to mess around with subordinates, preferring to cruelly reject the Female Knight’s expressions of love.

He is the Lord, practically the Emperor of the territory, with many women liking him and wanting to climb into his bed. He couldn’t care for each one, could he?

But there was no choice; the Daily Intelligence System prompted him to publicly declare his love for Philis, and he had to brace himself. Otherwise, in his opinion, at the moment of flowers and beauty, he would just carry Philis back to the castle to consummate, naturally bestowing her with the courtier status.

Therefore, Su Li could only sternly say, "I believe Philis’s identity is not as simple as we see, so I hope each of you gives her enough respect and courtesy, and not discriminate against or insult her because of her civilian status. If I hear of any such situation, don’t blame me for imposing punishment."

Upon hearing this, Lauren, being wise, could immediately speculate; after all, everyone in the territory knows about the Lord’s abilities, and he quickly assured, "I will guarantee her position as a Lady Courtier and will not allow anyone to speak nonsense."

Su Li nodded with satisfaction; the talent and capability of this Minister of the Seal were evident, and he felt assured with Lauren managing these details, freeing him from excessive worries.

After discussing this matter, while the Minister of Agriculture, Vandar Oak, had not yet reached the castle, the Military Commander, Knight Oerstein, solemnly brought up an issue, saying, "My Lord, I think you should consider appointing a new Minister of Religion."

Su Li looked at Knight Oerstein in surprise and asked, "What do you mean by this, my Commander?"

Knight Oerstein solemnly replied, "I have no issues with Lord Vandar; although he is old-fashioned, stubborn, and always mysterious, making it difficult for people to trust, his loyalty, dedication, and zeal to the territory are evident and acknowledged by all of us."

"It’s just that he is, after all, a Priest of the Dawn Goddess Church; having him serve as the religious advisor of our territory, the Knights are very averse to it, feeling it offends the dignity of the Sun Goddess. Especially when our Sun Goddess Monastery has already been built, the Knights believe the status of the Sun Goddess should be upheld. At this time, letting a Priest of the Dawn Church serve as the territory’s religious advisor is inappropriate and could easily incite unrest among the Knights."

Of course, this unrest does not mean they have any opinions about Su Li, wishing to threaten the Bauhinia family’s rule.

Instead, they might protest together, opposing Vandar taking over as the religious advisor of the territory.

Such matters, once they occur, always affect the authority of the Lord, so precaution beforehand is always a good suggestion.

In response to the military commander’s proposal, Su Li immediately approved, stating: "I will discuss this matter with Lord Rong’en of the Battle Pilgrimage Group, asking him to serve as the priest of our territory’s monastery and to promote the teachings of the Sun Goddess."

Generally, the Shepherd Leaders of a territory serve as the religious advisors, which means this former Divine Chosen Knight would gain great honor in the territory.

Combined with his previous immigration proposal, this undoubtedly holds great allure for the leader of this pilgrimage group.

It would be difficult for him to refuse the olive branch extended by Su Li to him.

If he joins the territory and one day successfully gains the forgiveness of the two goddesses, perhaps he would have a chance to regain the strength of a Divine Chosen Level Knight.

However, this is very difficult, as most deities in this world are petty, or more accurately spiteful and selfish. Even the Dawn Goddess, such a generous deity, would unleash Reya’s wrath, causing vast lands to yield nothing for ten years if her gifts are accepted but not reciprocated with sacrifices.

Without special methods, the leader of this Battle Pilgrimage Group is unlikely to regain strength within ten years.

Su Li has a daily intelligence system, giving him confidence to help lift this curse placed by the deity, thus he asked: "I recall Lord Rong’en mentioned that the Sun Goddess Sect has a good relationship with the Medical Goddess Sect. Which other sects does your sect have special relationships with? This affects which sects will be welcomed into our territory in the future."

This is precisely the significance of having a religious advisor.

Although the Empire Gods maintain good relations on the surface, and the Empire is relatively inclusive and open, allowing various sects to coexist and develop together.

However, every deity has its preferences, and their churches have their respective spheres of influence. For example, Yurik’s church is more prominent in the northern part of the Empire, the national church Redema Church dominates the central heartland of the Empire, and Violet’s Sun Goddess Sect is particularly prevalent in the southern part of the Empire.

Yurik’s church can coexist with the national church Redema Church, but it can’t coexist with the Sun Goddess Church.

After all, a believer can’t be both impulsive and rational, both turbulent and calm.

Hearing Su Li’s inquiry, Oerstein immediately responded: "In this regard, the religious advisor will give you a detailed answer in the future. My knowledge of religious history is relatively shallow, so I can only provide a rough introduction. Her Majesty Violet is still very tolerant and generous, portrayed in the teachings as a tall, well-proportioned young woman carrying a shield and a longsword, sometimes appearing as an eagle."

"She sponsors soldiers and tacticians and is widely worshipped by all ranks of the military. Followers only attack after thorough tactical analysis and obey superior orders unconditionally unless it violates the sect’s philosophy."

"Her Majesty Violet has a rivalry with the War God Yurik, though it usually only manifests on the battlefield and is not so intense in daily life. The Sun Goddess Sect has a good relationship with the Medical God Shalya’s Sect but dislikes Yurik’s followers and is hostile to followers of Lanode. We believe Lanode, this fickle God of Fraud, lacks the solemnity, grandeur, and dignity of other sects."

"His priests are thieves, frauds, and gamblers, not noble, well-educated elites. His temples are casinos, brothels, taverns, and other dens of vice, not splendid marble churches."

"More importantly, Lanode originally had no divine format, only obtaining it through deceiving the Medical Goddess Shalya and persuading Shalya to let him drink a small bottle of her tears."

"Therefore, if we discover followers of the God of Fraud, a fierce conflict might erupt. Even though the Empire strictly prohibits such behavior, numerous conflicts have erupted in many places as a result."

The God of Fraud, is it?

Su Li nodded, taking note of this information. Since he is widely worshipped within the Empire, he surely isn’t as worthless as Oerstein disdainfully describes.

However, since the followers of the Sun Goddess detest fraud, Su Li had to respond, saying: "Our territory naturally always honors its word and fulfills its noble promises. My Minister of the Seal, please report on the pardon situation of the Convict Army in this battle, as I intend to fulfill the pre-war promise to exempt the deserving slaves from their servitude."

This quality of keeping one’s word is a rare noble trait among the aristocracy.

The main issue is that nobles rarely care about promises made to slaves, and breaking faith incurs no punishment.

If not for the God of Fraud, Su Li might have considered, like those feudal monarchs and nobles, breaking faith with the convicts, throwing them back into construction after the war was over.

Of course, he quickly abandons this idea, as compared to other lords, he holds more principles.

Now, with the presence of the God of Fraud, he is even less likely to disregard the anger of so many knights, breaking faith and fattening himself by ignoring the slaves’ battle achievements and continuing to drive them into construction sites.